SOCORRO, N.M. – The New Mexico Tech management department is hosting three informal lectures designed to offer marketing advice to researchers.

Executives from three Albuquerque investment firms will approach the subject from different angles. The open forum discussions also aim to help scientists develop effective marketing presentations for the upcoming Technology Showcase.

Tom Stephenson, a managing general partner of the Verge Fund, will be at New Mexico Tech tomorrow (March 25) to talk about how scientists can best capitalize on their scientific breakthroughs.

Doug Lee, managing director of WESST Enterprise Center, will focus on what scientists can expect from investors and other service providers, especially in the start–up phase. He will discuss “Successful Entry Into and Exit From Incubators” at 11 a.m. Friday, March 27.

Lawrence Chavez of Flywheel Ventures will talk about “What Your Presentation Needs To Say About Your Market” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 1.

All three events will be in Speare 102 and are open to the campus community.

The three speakers were among the participants in the inaugural Technology Showcase at New Mexico Tech in September 2008. Seven researchers presented their marketing ideas at that event.

“These are members of our elite panel and they are very excited about Tech’s potential,” said Dr. Peter Anselmo, Chair of the Management Department and organizer of both the seminars and the Technology Showcase. “So they volunteered to come down and do the seminars to help the presenters to maximize their potential in attracting investors’ interest for the next showcase.”

Anselmo said the next Technology Showcase is tentatively scheduled for April 24. The Showcase and the three seminars are designed to build connections between technologists at New Mexico Tech and the venture capital and broader investment community.

“We want to build on the success of the first Technology Showcase from last fall,” Stephenson said. “The next logical step is to provide opportunities for additional preparation and mentoring for the researchers who will stand up and talk about their technology.”

Stephenson said he and his colleagues want to help bridge the traditional gap between inventors and investors to create market opportunities for both parties.